UK workers ignore rules on secure remote access

In a recent study on remote access, it was revealed that an alarming number of workers across Europe ignore the rules set in place by employees on secure remote access.

From a sample poll of 1,000 workers in each country, 50% of Germans said they always followed company remote access rules compared to just over a third in the UK.

Only 6% of Germans admitted ignoring these rules completely despite being aware of them, but this figure was at almost a fifth in the UK; a quarter of French workers said they weren’t even aware what the remote working rules were.

Imation suggested that this confusion of policies might explain why a third of businesses across the countries banned using ‘BYOD’ personal technology while at work.

A major issue seems to be the lack of detailed guidance on security policies, with around half of all workers in each country stating that employers had not imposed any remote access rules or had simply not communicated them.

“Flexibility is the key to growth, particularly for SMEs. There are going to be security concerns for any piece of equipment that is used for communication,” says our MD Peter Gradwell. “But the risks when using any device are not very different to a pad of paper – the main focus is on the behaviour of the user rather than the dangers surrounding the technology itself.”

It is hard to tell whether these findings reflect specific attitudes or the investments made in security in each country. Perhaps company security policies are too vague – maybe they’re too rigid. What do you think?